The film opens with a radio broadcast from famed columnist Alexander Woollcott as himself, instructing young talents to never give up their dreams of making it to Broadway. Tommy Williams (Rooney) and Penny Morris (Garland) follow that advice, working hard to put on an extravagant show to both raise money for a group of underprivileged children (led by Virginia Weidler) and hopefully get the attention of theatrical producer Thornton Reed (James Gleason), who can launch them to fame.

Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland in “Babes on Broadway”

Babes on Broadway is much more of a showcase for Rooney than Garland, which is a shame, as his fast-talking antics are no match for her charming songs. This dynamic is best exemplified in a fantasy musical number wherein both appear as various historical figures; while Rooney does a hackneyed comic bit as Sir Harry Lauder, Garland sings a lovely song as Fay Templeton.

Throughout the film, the numbers are all over the map; while some small early moments are delightful, the later large numbers replace the inventiveness of the best Berkeley films with lazy and offensive elements like blackface and drag. Yet, despite its failings, Babes on Broadway was MGM’s third highest–grossing film of the season, after Mrs. Miniver and Honky Tonk.1

Wesley Emblidge launched The Old Hollywood Times in 2017, after spending almost a year researching and developing the project. He works out of Boston overseeing all aspects of the site, from content to web design, while writing regularly. He also hosts the official podcast for the site, and edits the video essays. He’ll watch Cary Grant in just about anything, and avoids Charles Boyer films like the plague.